Cheltenham Tips: Our Turners Novices' Chase Pick For Thursday's First Race

Day Three of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival kicks off with the Turners Novices' Chase, with a maximum of 11 runners competing over two miles and four furlongs.

There’s a wide open look to the market on the best betting sites, which is great for punters, with Facile Vega among the leading contenders.

The seven-year-old has the potential to go well for trainer Willie Mullins, with Paul Townend booked as the jockey to steer him home.

The horse was third in the Irish Arkle behind Il Etait Temps and Found A Fifty at the Dublin Racing Festival, with the same runner finishing second in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 12 months ago.

Ginny’s Destiny is bidding for a fourth consecutive win, and the eight-year-old is sure to be a warm order, with the Paul Nicholls-trained charge having achieved all three of these victories at Prestbury Park.

Iroko is the younger pretender in this race, and the six-year-old hasn’t been seen in action since winning at Warwick back in November, with the horse having won the Martin Pipe Hurdle at the Festival last year.

Turners Novices' Chase @ Cheltenham 1.30pm - Grey Dawning @ 5/2

Yet another race with a Willie Mullins favourite in it, but I think Facile Vega is worth taking on here.

He has not looked a natural over a fence, and others in this race have achieved far more over the larger obstacles than him.

Grey Dawning has landed a couple of wins this season, and the Dan Skelton-trained runner should go well here, with the seven-year-old having landed a facile victory at Warwick most recently when achieving a 14-length win over three miles.

That display of stamina and jumping bodes well around Cheltenham and he has all the credentials to go all the way.

He has a huge engine and looks to most likely winner of the race so odds of 5/2 on horse racing betting sites look more than fair.